Bunbury teacher returns to school

VideoParents and students have cheered as Associate Principal Grant Walton returned to Eaton Community College, after he was stood down for attempting to break up a schoolyard fight in March.

Faced with about 150 angry, testosterone-fuelled teenagers and a bleeding student in need of help, South West high school deputy Grant Walton believed he had no other option than to physically intervene.

For the first time, The West Australian can reveal more details around the circumstances that led to the Eaton Community College associate principal being stood down by the Education Department after he tackled a student to the ground while trying to break up a fight two months ago.

The 50-year-old educator was cleared to return to his school yesterday, though he received a reprimand for his actions from education director-general Lisa Rodgers and has been ordered to undergo further training in managing student conflict and antisocial behaviour.

Video footage of the incident, in which Mr Walton swept a 13-year-old boy’s legs from under him and pinned him down, went viral and sparked widespread community debate about the level of physical intervention open to teachers.

Camera IconGrant Walton used the ‘careful seize’ technique to grip the boy’s shouldersPicture: SuppliedCamera Icon‘Putting him on the ground seemed the safest thing to do at the time.’Picture: Supplied

Local sources have revealed the after-school altercation was prearranged by students as part of an organised “fight club” where fights were filmed on mobile phones.

Mr Walton’s partner, Aydee Edwards, said he got wind of the fight and went to the school oval to try to prevent it.

She said he had used every de-escalation technique he could, but was left with little option when he saw one of the students involved in the fight was bleeding and about to fall over.

“He knew he had to get to him and save him, or at least stop the fight,” she said.

But at that point the boy, who he was seen wrestling in the video, stepped in front of him.

“There were 150 kids potentially going to mob him,” she said. “Putting him on the ground seemed the safest thing to do at the time.”

Ms Edwards said Mr Walton had used the “careful seize” technique to grip the boy’s shoulders, which was part of his training.

He also used his leg to shift the boy’s centre of gravity, which was not an officially sanctioned move, but one he had used previously. The boy was not injured.

“What he did ended the fight, because the focus shifted,” she said.

Ms Edwards said the same student threatened Mr Walton with a block of concrete a few minutes later, but that was not shown in the video.

Mr Walton said he could not comment on the incident but there was no way he could stand by with his hands in his pockets if a student’s safety was at risk. He said he agreed with the director general that physical intervention should always be a last resort, but he believed there were times when there was no other way to deal with a situation.

“You have to use your best judgment and training and experience you’ve had, and make decisions in a very quick time,” he said.

And he could not rule out intervening in the same way again.

“There are times when circumstances mean that it is necessary,” he said. “Regulation 38 enables us to use physical restraint to protect the safety of students and our own safety.”

Under new guidelines to combat violence in schools, teachers are told they can use physical contact as a last resort.

Camera IconGrant Walton is welcomed back.Picture: 7NEWS

School staff have been told they will get clear advice on what actions are expected and guidance on when physical contact is reasonable.

Mr Walton said it was “fantastic” to get back to school yesterday.

“I run a Kiwi Club here and they performed a haka for me which was just lovely,” he said. “And a whole bunch of ex-students came back to join the haka.”

The popular teacher said he also got hugs from parents, adding: “And every kid in the school has come up to me and said ‘Hi, it’s great to have you back’. I just can’t believe how much these people think of me.”

Mr Walton said the investigation process had been exhausting and there were times when he feared for his job.

But he had received a lot of caring support from Education Department staff and the teachers’ union.

“They were awesome,” he said.

He was also humbled by the online petition started by locals, signed by more than 6000 people, calling for his reinstatement.

Camera IconThere were cheers as Grant Walton returned to the school.Picture: 7NEWS